as in erupted
to develop suddenly and violently
in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of broken out
Early in her tenure, The Post organized a Zoom call with its staff and employees from its sister papers to review safety protocols during the George Floyd protests that had broken out in Denver in the summer of 2020.
—
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The clash between Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has broken out into public view at times.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Like his sister, Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) has also broken out of the vaults and come face to face with the Wasteland.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
YouTube generated more than $60 billion in revenue for 2025, including both advertising and subscriptions, the first time parent company Alphabet has broken out total revenue for the platform.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
In Minneapolis, confrontations have broken out and multiple protesters have been arrested.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But soon enough, the tiny fire truck has lost its wheels and a fight has broken out over whose Care Bears keychain is cooler, though neither of my children has ever owned a key.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Violent protests have broken out in the Mexican state of Michoacán over the murder of an outspoken anti-crime mayor, who was killed over the weekend while taking part in a Day of the Dead celebration.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The clash between Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has broken out into public view at times.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Like his sister, Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) has also broken out of the vaults and come face to face with the Wasteland.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
YouTube generated more than $60 billion in revenue for 2025, including both advertising and subscriptions, the first time parent company Alphabet has broken out total revenue for the platform.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
In Minneapolis, confrontations have broken out and multiple protesters have been arrested.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But soon enough, the tiny fire truck has lost its wheels and a fight has broken out over whose Care Bears keychain is cooler, though neither of my children has ever owned a key.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Violent protests have broken out in the Mexican state of Michoacán over the murder of an outspoken anti-crime mayor, who was killed over the weekend while taking part in a Day of the Dead celebration.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken out
Verb
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Carter erupted for a career-high 29 points with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, leading the Kings to a 124-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors in their home finale Friday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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Etienne erupted for 15 points and four 3-pointers in the opening quarter Friday night at Fiserv Forum, his most points in any quarter or half, and finished with a career-high 23 points and six 3-pointers.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The former safety/Georgetown transfer exploded in 2025 with 125 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks and a first-team All-Sun Belt nod.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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And then ChatGPT came out, and AI exploded.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20out. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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